Really, the whole series is a coming of age story, but this one feels the most like it.Īlexander paints a beautiful picture of the land of Prydain (and when a series of films is made, I hope his estate is very involved to make sure the film captures the poetry of his language). The lessons that Taran learns, shared through the learning of several different trades, only adds to the overall tone of the story, even more of a coming of age story than the others. Life is a forge, a loom, and a potter’s wheel being shaped and tempered and tested makes us stronger, our lives are woven together with the lives of others into a pattern that very few can see, and that we each shape our lives, like clay on a wheel. It’s very effective and shows us even more of the land of Prydain than we’ve seen before.Īs Taran and Gurgi travel and learn, I remember as a kid learning the same lessons. There are some supernatural elements in Taran Wanderer a confrontation with the wizard Morda answers many questions I had about the other books in the series, a visit to the marshes of Morva provide a starting point for Taran’s quest, and we learn the effects of evil on the common folk of Prydain, but Taran Wanderer is more a story about regular people and one person in particular. RELATED: VINTAGE YA BOOK REVIEW: THE BLACK CAULDRON Does his worth change if he’s the son of a shepherd, a king, or an orphan? Is it where he comes from, or what he chooses to do with his life that matters? He learns both who and what he wants to be and who and what he does not want to be during the book and takes us along for the ride. If the other books were about Taran learning about the pangs of leadership and that growing up is hard, this book is more about him both discovering and embracing who he is. On the way, he meets a wide array of characters who help him (both intentionally and unintentionally). He also is able to use the skills he learned in the last few books in a variety of ways, and further grow into the man he will become by, I presume, the end of the series. In this book, Taran sets off with Gurgi to find out where he has come from, to learn if he has anything that he can offer a certain feisty princess, and to discover who he is. Sure, he runs into Fflewddur and Doli, Gurgi goes with him, and Eilonwy is on his mind, but the story is just Taran’s in a way we haven’t seen before in the series. The fact that Taran’s quest is much more personal in this book also plays a role. I was trying to figure out why this is, and I think it’s because Taran Wanderer is about one young adult’s quest to find out who he is, something relatable (and very well written). I know I said The Castle of Llyr was my favorite book in the series, and while it still is, I think that Taran Wanderer is a close second.
I think these two books work well together with the events in The Castle of Llyr being the catalyst for the events in Taran Wanderer.
Last time, I looked at the third book in the series, The Castle of Llyr. RELATED: VINTAGE YA BOOK REVIEW: THE CASTLE OF LLYR The books in The Prydain Chronicles are, in order: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr. There is also a collection of short stories ( The Foundling and Other Tales) that was published in 1973. The series is made up of five books that were published between 19. Taran Wanderer is the fourth book in The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, falling between The Castle of Llyr and The High King.
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